Hi, I'm the creator and moderator of this group. I'm a 54 year old woman and was diagnosed ADHD-inattentive about a year and a half ago. I would never have imagined that I have ADD. A couple years ago, my 20 year old son told me he thinks he has ADHD. I didn't believe it, but I didn't want to dismiss his concerns, so I did some research. Wow! My life and internal struggles suddenly made so much more sense when I realized that many of my "character weaknesses and personality traits" are ADD. And I saw it in not only me and my son, but my other two children as well.

I saw a psychiatrist, who put my on Vyvanse. I was elated. Was this REALLY how easy most people found life? Later, I was just as surprised when the grief and tears poured out of me, mourning what could have been and how hard my parents, teachers, and I were on me because none of us understood that I have a neurological disorder. Now that I am optimally medicated (60mg Vyvanse), life is so much easier and productive. I still have multiple ADD issues every day, but nothing like it was.

Having had a foot in both camps (ADD skeptic to ADD diagnosed), I often try to explain to those without ADD what it's like to live with it, and those who have it (many not officially diagnosed or never tried medication) how life-changing getting medicated is. I've learned to be more gentle and understanding of myself, and to come up with even more hacks and systems to help me function better, now that I understand that my brain needs extra reminders and help that normal adult brains do not.

So that's my story in a nutshell. A bit more about me aside from the ADHD: I live in central Texas with my non-ADD husband (married almost 30 years). We have three children between the ages of 20-25, all of whom have been diagnosed ADD since my son first mentioned it (F/combination, M/inattentive, M/hyperactive). Two of them live with us, and struggle greatly with "adulting." My goal is to help them get properly medicated so they can successfully live on their own.